Free customs clearance for your Russian buyer: what the promo code changes for your shipment
If your Russian customer tells you they are switching the shipment to their own forwarder and asks you to hand the cargo over at your own gate, there is now a concrete reason behind it. Promo tickets giving free customs clearance were handed out at the iCustoms stand at ExpoElectronica 2025, and the code only works when the entire logistics chain for that order runs through our service. For you as the shipper this is not a discount — it is a change in incoterms, in who books the carrier, and in how early your document set has to be ready. Miss the deadline or send an incomplete pack, and the order simply falls outside the promo while your goods wait at the border.
What the offer actually covers
The promo waives the fee for the customs clearance service itself on one order. It applies only to orders with international logistics that require mandatory customs declaration — in other words, exactly the kind of cross-border movement you handle when you ship to Russia or the CIS.
What it does not touch is just as important for the landed cost you quote. Customs duties, taxes and any additional customs charges that depend on the type of goods, their value or the legislation of the destination country are still payable in full. The promo also does not apply to goods that are prohibited from carriage or that require a special permit under the law of either the country of dispatch or the country of destination. So if your product needs a licence, a permit or a certificate, the requirement stays exactly where it was.
Why your buyer needs the whole chain with one operator
The single condition with the biggest effect on your side is this: the code only applies to orders whose logistics were fully organised through our service. A shipment that you deliver on your own terms and then hand over to a separate broker in Russia does not qualify, however clean the paperwork is.
In practice your buyer will ask you to move the delivery term back — to hand the cargo over at your factory or warehouse rather than deliver it yourself — so that pickup, main carriage and customs clearance sit with one operator. Depending on the route, that carriage may be arranged as door-to-door delivery by road, sea, rail or air. Agree the incoterm before you book anything: a booking made under your old terms is hard to unwind, and the change of delivery term is the part exporters notice last.
The second thing your buyer will lean on you for is the permit side. Clearance cannot be completed without the certificates and declarations of conformity that your product category requires, and those are usually built from documents only the manufacturer holds — technical descriptions, composition or specification sheets, test reports. If your goods have never been placed on the Russian market before, expect questions from the buyer about certification well before the truck is loaded.
The promo ticket with a free customs clearance code, handed out at the iCustoms stand at ExpoElectronica 2025
Promo conditions and what each one means for the shipper
| Condition of the promo | What it means for you as the sender |
|---|---|
| Only legal entities may take part | The buyer on the contract must be a company. Check who your counterparty actually is before you promise anything. |
| Logistics must be fully organised through the service | You may be asked to hand the cargo over at your own premises instead of shipping it yourself. Fix the incoterm before booking the carrier. |
| The order must be created before the promo ends | Your readiness date and your documents have to reach the buyer in time for the order to be opened, not just for the truck to leave. |
| Only orders requiring mandatory customs declaration | Cross-border shipments qualify; a purely domestic move inside Russia does not. |
| Duties, taxes and additional customs charges are not included | Your landed-cost estimate stays the same. Only the clearance service fee is waived, so do not present it to the buyer as a price reduction. |
| Prohibited goods and goods needing special permits are excluded | Confirm the permit and certification status of your product first; the promo will not carry a shipment past a missing licence. |
| One code, one use, one legal entity | It cannot be split across several consignments. If you and the buyer want the benefit on a large delivery, plan it as one order. |
The deadline and how the code is activated
The promo runs until 15 June 2025 inclusive. The order for customs clearance has to be created in the service before 23:59 Moscow time on 15 June 2025. Activation itself is on the buyer's side and takes minutes: they carefully scratch off the protective layer on the ticket, pass the code to their personal manager, and the manager applies it to the order.
What counts is the date the order is created, not the date the cargo reaches the border. Your buyer can only open that order once they know what is shipping, from where and on what terms — so a late packing list or an unconfirmed readiness date is what actually costs them the promo.
Plan backwards from that. Give the buyer the shipment details, the commercial documents and a firm readiness date early enough for the order to be created and the code applied while the promo is still running.
What the exporter should do
- Ask your Russian customer directly whether they hold a promo ticket from the ExpoElectronica 2025 stand and intend to use it on your shipment.
- Agree the delivery term in writing before booking anything. If the whole chain has to run through one operator, the handover point moves to your premises.
- Send the commercial document set early — contract, invoice, packing list with weights and dimensions, and the transport details for the consignment.
- Check the permit side of your product: whether it needs certification, a declaration of conformity or a special permit, and which of those documents can only be built from data you hold.
- Confirm a firm cargo readiness date so the buyer can create the order before 23:59 Moscow time on 15 June 2025.
- Keep the numbers consistent across every document. A mismatch between invoice, packing list and transport paperwork is the ordinary reason cargo stops at the border, promo or no promo.
- Point any questions about the code itself to the buyer's personal manager or to the service's support line — the code belongs to the buyer's account, not to yours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the promo code myself as the exporter?
No. Participation is limited to legal entities working with the service, and the code is applied to the buyer's order by their personal manager. Your role is to make sure the shipment meets the conditions.
Does the promo mean my buyer pays nothing at the border?
No. Customs duties, taxes and additional customs charges that depend on the type of goods, their value or the destination country's legislation are excluded from the offer and remain payable.
Can we split the code across two shipments?
No. The code can be used once and by one legal entity only; it cannot be reused. Consolidate into a single order if you want the benefit applied to a larger delivery.
What if the shipment turns out not to meet the conditions?
If the order does not match the promo terms, the service reserves the right to decline the free customs clearance. The shipment still moves — it is simply cleared on normal commercial terms, so nothing about your documents or timing changes.
Where can I get details or a free expo ticket?
Questions about the promo or the code go to the personal manager or to the service's support team by phone or email. Promo details may change, and any change is announced on the website. A free entry ticket to the exhibition is available with the code ee25eOMRS.
Summary
The offer waives the customs clearance fee on one order until 15 June 2025, for legal entities only, and only where the full logistics chain runs through the service. Duties and taxes are unaffected, prohibited and permit-controlled goods are excluded, and the code works once for one company. For the sender, the practical consequences are three: agree the delivery term early, send a complete and consistent document set, and confirm readiness in time for the order to be created before 23:59 Moscow time on the closing date. Request a consultation, and we will go through your specific shipment.
We can take your cargo from pickup at your plant through to customs release in Russia, so the whole chain sits with one operator.
Read also:
- Baltic Grain Transit Ban: What the Route Shift Means for Your Shipment to Russia
- Russia's 2026 shift to fully declared imports: what it changes for you as an exporter and what your Russian buyer will now demand
- War Risk Insurance in Russian Customs Value: What Your Buyer Will Ask You For
- Electronic Waybills for Shipments to Russia: The Carriage UID, Codes 02015 and 02016, and What Your Buyer Will Ask You For
